Remember too the new chief appointment to run the VA is a former CEO of Proctor and Gamble. I also read somewhere that P and G was slated to be selling MDVIP in the future. Anyway back to the case what else would a law suit be about today but contracts and Signature MD states MDVIP locks their doctors into contract that has provisions that does not allow them to change or cancel, such as no more than 600 patients and it’s working a squared model at MDVIP you could say, but that’s what they pay for.

Signature says MDVIP has a monopoly on the market. MDVIP also requires doctors to sever relationships with patients who are not part of the program and paying a fee to have a boutique doctor where as Signature MD does not. In addition, Signature MD states that doctors with MDVIP have to renew for the rest of their practice life and don’t have a chance to make a change and this has impacted their business. BD

LOS ANGELES (CN) - A Marina Del Ray medical provider claims that the largest concierge medicine provider in the United States illegally squeezes out competitors by tying physicians to exclusive agreements. Signature MD sued MDVIP of Boca Raton, Fla. in a federal complaint of violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act, and violation of California's antitrust and unfair competition statutes in the Cartwright Act.

According to the July 14 lawsuit, MDVIP membership program boasts 700 physicians and 200,000 members in 43 states, making it the largest concierge medicine program in the nation. A patient enrolled in an MDVIP concierge program enjoys significant benefits for an annual fee of $1,500 to $1,800, including same-day or next-day care, SignatureMD says. Longer doctor visits are understood to be part of the program. Signature claims that MDVIP enjoys a 70 percent share of the concierge medicine membership program market and a 65 percent to 100 percent share in major cities and local markets across the country. Physicians who sign up with MDVIP are required to limit their practices to 600 patients and must exclusively deal with MDVIP members, the lawsuit states.